FAQ

Q: My apprentice just completed the program do they remain on the roster?

A: The apprentice would now be considered either a pending or certified journeyman and they remain in the program on the roster receiving access to CEH courses online and approval of third party or in house training. They also fill the need for the 1 to 1 ratio per the WBFAA Standards.

Q: My apprentice just completed the program but is not certified with the state certification. How do we pay them on a Prevailing Wage Job?

A: The technician would have to be paid as a journeyman as they are no longer a registered apprentice.

Q: How do I find the prevailing wage for an apprentice?

A: You can view the prevailing wages for on the DIR/DAS https://www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/pwappwage/PWAppWageStart.asp

Q: How do I find the prevailing wage for a Journeyman?

A: Follow this link https://www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2021-1/PWD/index.htm and then go to step 4 and select your county.

Q: What is the procedure for submitting DAS 140’s and DAS 142’s?

A: Member companies of the WBFAA can Submit DAS 140/42’s by email, FAX, online at https://www.wbfaa.net/public-works/ or by mail.

Q: What is the policy for sending140’s and DAS 142’s?

A: About DAS 140, Notification of Contract Award (Labor Code Section 1777.5) 

Contract award information must be sent within 10 days of the signing of the contract or subcontract, but in no event later than the first day in which the contractor has workers employed upon the public work. Contractors who submit the DAS 140 outside this timeframe are considered out of compliance and may be subject to penalties. This form notifies the applicable committee(s) of the contract award; it is not a request for dispatch of a registered apprentice (to do this, use DAS Form 142). The information submitted must include an estimate of journeyman hours to be performed under the contract, the number of apprentices proposed to be employed, and the approximate dates the apprentices would be employed. You can determine which apprenticeship programs are approved in specific geographic locations by searching our interactive database.

Apprenticeship requirements are the responsibility of the contractor. If a contractor relies on a temp agency, and there are problems, it is the contractor who will be responsible for any resulting penalties.

About DAS 142, Request for Dispatch of an Apprentice (CCR Title 8, section 230.1)

Contractors who do not employ enough apprentices to meet the ratio requirements must request dispatch of an apprentice from an apprenticeship program for each apprenticeable craft or trade on the project. All requests for dispatch must be in writing and sent by first class mail, fax or email. 

Contractors who do not receive a sufficient number of apprentices from their initial request must request the dispatch of apprentices from all other apprenticeship committees in the area of the Public Works project.  This only needs to be done once during the life of the project. To determine which apprenticeship committees to contact in a specific geographic location, go to: http://www.dir.ca.gov/databases/das/pwaddrstart.asp

You are not required to sign any additional documents, such as the DAS 7 (Agreement to Train Apprentices), or agree to any other conditions set forth by a program. If a program does not want to dispatch apprentices unconditionally, and you have contacted all the appropriate programs in the geographic area then you have met your obligation under the law.

Even if a job will take less than 40 hours, the contractor must submit a DAS 140 and DAS 142. However, you may request apprentices in less than eight-hour increments. For projects bid before June 30, 2009, see Code of Regulations section 230.1.

Q: How does the WBFAA respond to DAS 140’s and DAS 142’s?

A: The DAS says that the WBFAA technically does not have to respond to DAS-140/142 submissions, however we will respond to members by letter if we receive a DAS-140/142 by postal mail/FAX or by email if we receive a submission by email. We save a paper or digital copy of all member DAS 140/142 submissions. 

Q: Where do I send DAS 140’s and 142’s to?

A: You can email to info@wbfaa.net, FAX to 800-809-0281 or mail to the physical office address

Q: What do I do with "other" payment on prevailing wage projects?

A: The "other" payment can be paid direct to the employee on prevailing wage projects.

Q: How do I submit training trust fund contributions to the WBFAA?

A: Training Trust Fund contributions on public works need to be paid on the 15th of the month for the previous month. Fill out a reporting form and then you can either mail in to WBFAA with a check or scan and email the form to info@wbfaa.net Once the WBFAA receives the email we will create an invoice and then you can pay with ACH or Credit card through your online Bill & Pay profile.

Q: We are looking to hire, does the WBFAA have a list of technicians seeking employment?

A: The WBFAA has a small list of unemployed registered apprentices and certified technicians. Send your job notice to info@wbfaa.net and we can forward to that list for member companies ONLY.

Q: How do I determine Overtime pay on prevailing wage jobs?

A: (From DAS) Overtime is paid on the basic hourly wage and not on the entire hourly wage after benefits. 

Q: What is shift work and how is it determined?

A: Click here for link to DIR/DAS on shift work definitions

Q: My contractor wants proof of training trust fund payments. How do I obtain that?

A: The WBFAA will send a paid invoice of Training Trust Fund Contributions and can send a member verification letter upon request. Email info@wbfaa.net to request this letter.

Q: I do not work with a member company of the WBFAA how do I join the program?

A: You can apply as an apprentice online here https://www.wbfaa.net/apply-now/

Q: Can I pay my invoices online?

A: You can sign-up to pay invoices online with ACH or Credit Card through our Bill & Pay System. To request access send an email to info@wbfaa.net and Cc Admin@wbfaa.net to receive an invite letter.

Q: How do I know what level my apprentice is at?

A: Log into the Technician Tracking System. You can export your rosters and see all the levels  

Q: When do apprentice upgrades take effect?

A: Apprentice upgrades are typically done on the 11th of each month. If an apprentice is upgraded an email notification of the upgrade goes to the apprentice and supervisor(s)

Q: How do see my apprentice’s coursework progress?

A: Log into the Technician Tracking System. Search for your apprentice on the main dashboard. Click on the “blue person” icon and you will be able to see the apprentice’s current semester and progress bar. You can expand the drop-down box to see completed courses.

Q: How do look at my apprentices OJT submissions?

A: Log into the Technician Tracking System. Search for your apprentice on the main dashboard. Click on the “blue person” icon and you will be able to see the apprentice’s OJTs by month with progress bar. You can expand the drop-down box to see the different category submissions for OJTS.

Q: What is the process of removing an apprentice/journeyman that now longer is employed with our company?

A: You can call 800-809-0280 or email info@wbfaa.net 

Q: What is required to renew my state certification?

A: 32 hours of Continuing Education Hours every 3 years from a state approved school/provider.

Q: What does the WBFAA do to support CEH renewal?

A: The WBFAA offers its members online access to CEH courses and will also approve 3rd party manufacturers training or in-house training.

Q: How do I submit my renewal documents to the Electrician Certification Unit?

A: Online Here à https://cadir.prod.simpligov.com/prod/Portal/ShowWorkFlow/AnonymousEmbed/401ee646-7bef-4bab-bea7-48fbf7e75572

Or Mail physical application to:

State of California

DIR-Division of Labor Standards Enforcement Attn: Electrician Certification Unit

PO Box 511286 Los Angeles, CA 90051-7841

Q: What date is an apprentice considered registered with the DAS/DOL?

A: The indentured date that is on the DAS-1 signed by the apprentice and employer is the date the apprentice will be considered registered with the DAS if the DAS-1 form is sent to the WBFAA correctly filled out within the 30 day window.

Q: When can an apprentice start submitting OJTS?

A: An apprentice can begin submitting OJTS from the indentured date that is on the DAS-1 signed by the apprentice and employer.

Q: On a Davis Bacon Job (DOL) How do we pay apprentices?

A: The percentage the affected apprentice is receiving now is the percentage he/she would receive on prevailing wage work; so yes, the percentages posted in your Appendix A would apply.

Q: Can we submit apprentice forms electronically or do they need to be mailed to the WBFAA Training office?

A: Yes! You can submit DAS-1 and DOL-671 apprentice agreements. Please fill out DAS-1 and DOL 671 forms completely and accurately. The WBFAA UATC has a 30-day Time Frame of accepting and approving DAS-1 forms.

Q: What is the ratio of apprentice to journeyman with the WBFAA program?

A: WBFAA – The WBFAA ratio is 1 to 1. This means that an apprentice that is in step 1-5 must be supervised by a journeyman while performing their work. On Prevailing wage jobs, the DIR requires a 1 hour of apprentice work to every 5 hours of journeymen work as a minimum requirement.

Q: Our company is not large enough to have a 1 to 1 ratio. What is the WBFAA policy on this?

A: If it is not possible to have a journeyman working at all times with an apprentice because of company size, then the direction is to have the journeymen supervise each apprentice for the work they will perform and make sure the apprentice is performing the job safely and does not do anything outside of what has been relayed to them from the supervising journeyman.

Q: I have a C-10 license and I am an employee of a company under another C-10 license, Can I use that to work daily OR do I need to have the blue card?

A: You will need to be state certified through the Electrician Certification Unit with either the Fire/ Life Safety card or General Electrician card if you are hired as an employee of a C-10 contractor even though you possess your own C-10 license. However, if you are a sub-contractor with a C-10 working for another C-10 that is fine.

Q: What is the wage break down for non-prevailing wage jobs?

Q: What is the wage break down for prevailing wage jobs?

A: Prevailing wage rates set by the Department of industrial Relations(DIR) can be found at the links below:

Apprentice Prevailing wage rate Search: https://www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/pwappwage/PWAppWageStart.asp

Journeymen Prevailing wage rate Search: https://www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2021-1/PWD/index.htm

Q: We have apprentices working for us. Do we still need to fill out a DAS 142 and submit or not?

A: You only need to submit a DAS-142 if you do not meet the minimum ratio requirement of journeymen to apprentices. If you submit to WBFAA we do not dispatch apprentices. You will have to submit to the other programs in the county you are doing the work in. You do not have to accept an apprentice from another program, you just have to show proof of submitting your DAS-142’s for compliance.

Q: What is AB 3018 and how do we comply?

A: AB 3018 in short was legislation that said that on certain prevailing wage jobs a percentage of journeymen on the job had to be “skilled and trained” workforce and furthermore a percentage of the skilled and trained workforce had to have been graduates of an approved apprentice program”  Here is a link to AB 3018 à https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB3018

Q: Does the WBFAA offer an accelerated apprentice program option for to comply with AB 3018?

A: Yes, the WBFAA does offer an accelerated 6 month program for certified Fire/Life Safety technicians to comply with AB 3018. To apply click hereà https://www.wbfaa.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/WBFAA-6-MONTH-PROGRAM-DOCUMENTS-COMBINED-070221.pdf

Q: What is the current content referenced on the state certification Fire/Life Safety Exam?

A: The following references are provided in the testing center, you may not use your own reference material. No highlighting or notes of any sort may be made in the book during the exam.
▪ NFPA 70 – National Electrical Code, 2014 Edition. National Fire Protection Association, 1 Batterymarch Park, P.O. Box 9101, Quincy, MA 02269, http://www.nfpa.org/ The 2017 Code will be used starting 1/2/2020
▪ NFPA 70E – Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, 2015 Edition. National Fire Protection Association, 1 Batterymarch Park, P.O. Box 9101, Quincy, MA 02269, http://www.nfpa.org/
▪ NFPA 72 – National Fire Alarm Code, 2016 Edition, National Fire Protection Association, 1 Batterymarch Park, P.O. Box 9101, Quincy, MA 02269-9101, http://www.nfpa.org/
▪ CAL/OSHA – Pocket Guide for the Construction Industry, updated 2015. State of California Department of Industrial Relations, Cal/OSHA Consultation Service Research and Education. http://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/puborder.asp